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监护 (jiān hù) — to act as a guardian; to take legal guardianship of (a minor or incapacitated person)

Definition

A legal term: formally taking legal guardianship of a minor or incapacitated person, with rights and duties set by law. Unlike 看守/看管 (everyday guarding of people or things), 监护 is a legal status granted by a court.

verb
to act as a guardianto take legal guardianship of (a minor or incapacitated person)

Examples

  • 监护。
    Fǎ yuàn zhǐ dìng tā jiān hù zhè ge hái zi.
    The court appointed him to act as guardian for this child.
  • ，监护。
    Fù mǔ qù shì hòu, shū shu fù zé jiān hù tā men.
    After the parents passed away, the uncle is responsible for their guardianship.
  • 监护。
    Yī yuàn xū yào jiā shǔ qiān zì cái néng jìn xíng jiān hù.
    The hospital needs a family member to sign before proceeding with guardianship.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

监jiānsupervise
护hùguard

监 (supervise) and 护 (guard) combine to mean overseeing and protecting someone.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 監; 监 is its simplified writing.

  • 臥臥wòa person with an emphasized eye
  • 皿皿mǐncontainer

The traditional form 監 shows 臥, a person with an emphasized eye, looking into 皿, a container; the simplified 监 is a later shorthand.

Open 监 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
扌Written in full as手shǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
户
户hù护hù
Same sound today

护 combines 扌 (the hand form 手) with 户, which gives the sound hù.

Open 护 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Law & Justice

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